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Most Popular Nursing Schools in Arkansas

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Arkansas

36 Colleges
$64,303 Avg Salary
$22,411 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Arkansas with 2,882 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022.

It's not easy to decide which nursing program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Most Popular Nursing Schools in Arkansas ranking. Our analysis looked at 36 schools in Arkansas to see which programs were the most popular for nursing students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.

Check out the nursing programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in Arkansas.

Our 2023 rankings named University of Arkansas at Little Rock the most popular school in Arkansas for nursing students. Located in the medium-sized city of Little Rock, UA Little Rock is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

On average, nursing graduates from UA Little Rock take out $18,488 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Arkansas at Little Rock

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Arkansas State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in Arkansas list. A-State is a large public school located in the city of Jonesboro.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from A-State carry an average student debt load of $32,824.

Read full report on Nursing at Arkansas State University - Main Campus

#3

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Arkansas. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Arkansas list. UARK is a very large public school located in the city of Fayetteville.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UARK carry an average student debt load of $37,554. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $307, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Arkansas

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences is a great place for nursing students. UAMS is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Little Rock.

Nursing majors at UAMS take out an average of $35,950 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $74.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Central Arkansas. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in Arkansas list. Located in the city of Conway, UCA is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UCA take out is $28,365. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $245.

Full Nursing at University of Central Arkansas Report

Baptist Health College - Little Rock landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. BHCLR is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Little Rock.

Nursing majors at BHCLR take out an average of $12,415 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $121, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#7

Arkansas Tech University

Russellville, AR

With a ranking of #7, Arkansas Tech University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. ATU is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Russellville.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at ATU take out is $19,225.

Full Nursing at Arkansas Tech University Report

University of Arkansas - Fort Smith came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Arkansas ranking. Located in the small city of Fort Smith, UAFS is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UAFS carry an average student debt load of $20,413.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Arkansas - Fort Smith

NorthWest Arkansas Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #9 on the list. NWACC is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Bentonville.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at NWACC take out is $13,938.

Full Nursing at NorthWest Arkansas Community College Report

#10

Henderson State University

Arkadelphia, AR

Henderson State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in Arkansas ranking. Located in the distant town of Arkadelphia, Henderson State University is a public college with a small student population.

Nursing majors at Henderson State University take out an average of $15,286 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Nursing at Henderson State University Report

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Louisiana 3,502
Mississippi 2,838
Alabama 7,364
Kentucky 6,395
Tennessee 6,004
Florida 21,209
Georgia 7,112
North Carolina 7,425
West Virginia 1,771
South Carolina 3,296
Virginia 6,775

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 262,974
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,647
Nursing Practice 8,862
Nursing Administration 8,663
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 4,717
Nursing Science 4,701
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,895
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,075
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 2,011
Nurse Anesthetist 1,768
Critical Care Nursing 747
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 622
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 567
School Nursing 539
Clinical Nurse Leader 502
Clinical Nurse Specialist 340
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 269
Women’s Health Nurse/Nursing 262
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 192
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 87
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 26
Forensic Nursing 23
Palliative Care Nursing 13

Related Major Annual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 85,339

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 26 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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